Apple is reportedly preparing to launch an entirely new operating system this month, with homeOS expected to make its debut alongside the company’s new HomePad smart home hub.
The software will power Apple’s first dedicated smart home display and is expected to combine elements of tvOS and watchOS with an interface designed to be viewed and controlled from around the home.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported that Apple plans to introduce HomePad on October 13, putting the debut of homeOS potentially less than two weeks away.
HomeOS is expected to be built on tvOS rather than iOS or iPadOS, but its interface will reportedly borrow ideas from several of Apple’s existing platforms.
The software is said to center on clock faces, photos, widgets, apps, and smart home controls, with the interface automatically adapting depending on who is looking at the display and how far away they are.
Facial recognition is expected to allow HomePad to identify individual members of a household and surface personalized information including calendars, notes, and other relevant content.
The interface could also change the size and type of information shown depending on a user’s distance from the display, making information easier to read from across a room before exposing more detailed controls when someone approaches it.
Siri AI is expected to sit at the center of homeOS, allowing users to control accessories, retrieve personal information, manage reminders and calendars, and interact with Apple’s wider ecosystem through voice.
FaceTime is also expected to be built in, using HomePad’s front-facing camera for video calls.
Recent discoveries in Apple’s software have provided additional clues about the operating system’s photo experience. Leaked HomePad setup screens reveal a Photo Face powered by iCloud Photos, allowing users to display selected people, pets, places, Memories, and Shared Albums alongside a large clock.
The Photo Face appears to turn HomePad into a personalized photo display when it isn’t being actively used, while widgets and glanceable information could give the device a role similar to a permanently available household dashboard.
Bloomberg’s latest reporting on Apple’s smart home plans says the HomePad interface is heavily focused on clocks and photo slideshows, alongside familiar Apple apps and household controls.
The operating system is also expected to work closely with HomeKit and Apple’s broader Home platform, providing a dedicated screen for controlling lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, and other compatible accessories.
HomePad itself is expected to feature a roughly six-inch square display, with a tabletop version using a round speaker base and polished metal arm alongside a separate wall-mounted configuration.
Apple is reportedly preparing HomePad, HomePod mini 2, and a new Apple TV 4K for October 13 as the opening stage of a much broader push into smart home hardware.
Although “homeOS” has been widely reported as the name for Apple’s new platform, Apple’s final branding has not yet been established. Unlike the unofficial HomePad nickname, however, homeOS has previously appeared in Apple-related software references and reporting surrounding the project.
If the October 13 schedule holds, Apple could reveal both its first new operating system category in years and the hardware built around it later this month.